What Spies Expect, When Expecting
by Laurenio567
Summary: Cammie is only nineteen when her world is rocked and she has some big news for everyone. She thought living as a new spy would be difficult, but it turns out, that's not the only difficult thing headed her way.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Cammie's POV:

The morning is still etched into my mind. I believe it always will be. It was a cool, crisp day. The sun was out, but there was a strong wind and almost all the trees were bare. It was mid November, two years after I graduated from the Gallagher Academy. After one year living in the dorms of Georgetown University, I decided that right when I could afford it, I'd be getting my own place. And that's exactly what I did. I bought a cute little apartment only three blocks from the start of campus. No more sharing the bathroom or late night fire drills. But I today, my little apartment wasn't feeling cozy or calm at all. Macey, Liz, Bex and I all sat on the living room floor even though the couch and two chairs were both sitting empty right beside us. My floor length curtains were drawn open, letting the light spill into the living room and attached kitchen. Shadows of trees and bushes danced on the floors and walls. But the four of us girls were as still as statues and as quiet as them too.

"How long has it been?" my voice was hoarse as I turned my head slightly and asked Liz.

"Three minutes." She almost whispered.

"Cam, it'll be fine." Bex locked eyes with me and I saw the confidence in her gaze. I just didn't feel it. As spies, we are trained to lie when we need to. Bex could completely be lying to me. Of course she was my best friend so she would try her best not to, but she might have had to, just to keep me from going insane. But the truth was, I was already going insane. My mind was spinning and my palms were sweaty. But that could've just been from how sick I had been lately.

"How long, Liz?" I breathed.

"It's done." She bit her lip. I sucked in a large breath of air and let it out as I stood up slowly. I wobbled a bit on my feet and Bex stood up to hold my arm.

"Just go look." Macey's voice was serious, emotionless, and commanding. "You can't postpone this." So I left the girls in the living room and felt my legs lead me down the hall and to the bathroom. The door was closed. I didn't want to open it. I wanted to turn around, grab my things, move out and never open that door, never look at that door again. But I couldn't break nature's hold on me. My hand reached out and turned the knob. The door creaked open and I scanned the surroundings. Everything looked foreign. As a spy, I knew when something looked out of place, or didn't feel right. Silent alarms were going off in my brain right now, telling me that something wasn't quite normal. Then again, with me, nothing ever really is normal. But this was a different kind of abnormal. Then I spotted the small stick on the bathroom counter. It was in a small spot that had been cleared of all my cosmetics (that I never used) or my lotions, scrubs, towels, and mouth care products.

"Just look at it." I told myself. "You can handle it. You've taken bullets before. You've saved the life of a queen. You stopped World War 3. And you can't look at a little stick?" I was taunting myself. Daring myself to go and look at my fate. And before I could doubt again, I raced forward and snatched the stick into my hands. All delicacy that I had been handling it with previously was gone. I ripped my hands away and let my eyes rest on the little symbol that had appeared on the stick. It hadn't been there fifteen minutes ago when I had first opened the box. I stopped breathing.

"Cammie?" I heard Liz's voice calling. "What does it say?" I heard footsteps coming down the hall and then the girls were standing in the bathroom door, facing me like I was about to start preaching to them.

"Well?" Macey gestured for me to say something.

"Zach," I held out the pregnancy test with the little pink plus sign on it, "is going to kill me."


	2. Sneaking Out

Chapter Two

Cammie's POV:

The next few minutes of my life were what I would call "Complete and Utter Chaos". You think a spy would get used to getting surprises and dealing with stressful situations. Let me tell you something: not even spies are prepared to get the news that they're pregnant. The Gallagher Academy never had a class "How to be a Spy Mother 101".

"Cammie!" Liz shrieked when she saw the test in my outstretched palm. "Oh my gosh! You're….you're…..you're…."

"Pregnant." Bex's eyes were huge and she looked like her brain had just melted.

"Cameron Ann Morgan, who would've thought." Macey stepped forward.

"What. Is. Happening." It was all like a dream to me.

"Honey, you've got a baby inside of you." Macey shook her head. "Frankly I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"Me neither." I stared at the wall behind the girls and tried not to pass out.

"I know!" Liz cried. "Laugh!" and she did just that. She sat down on the bathroom floor and laughed. It felt like ten hours but it was probably two minutes that she just sat there laughing while we all watched her.

"Cammie, how far along do you think…." Bex trailed off. I hadn't really thought about….well the conception of the thing that was apparently growing inside of me. Excuse my lack of excitement, but this was not the most convenient thing to ever happen to me. And not the most glamorous either.

"I, I don't know." I stuttered. Now all of a sudden everything was awkward. The fact that I didn't know the date proved that there had been multiple times that Zach and I had….well you know. And I could see the look on all of my friends' faces that said "We Had No Idea You Liked Him That Much".

"Why aren't you happy?" Liz stood up and took the test from my hands. "Cam, this is amazing! Baby clothes and baby showers!"

"Liz." Bex used a warning tone. Liz got quiet.

"I'm not ready for this." I grabbed onto the counter as a bout of light headedness swept over me. Bex caught my other arm.

"Cammie, I know you. You can handle anything." Bex reassured me. "You always said you wanted kids."

"Yeah not when I'm nineteen and not even married and just starting my career!" I cried and then I felt it. I turned quickly and ripped my arm away from Bex and leaned over the toilet and heaved.

"I'm out!" Macey made a quick escape down the hall.

"Oh, Cammie!" Liz sighed and came over to hold my hair back. "No wonder you've been feeling so sick."

"I guess I didn't think about it." I choked out as I flushed the toilet and put the lid down to rest my head on. The porcelain felt cool and hard beneath my head and a tiny flashback of a certain Alaskan mountain prison facility slipped into my mind. And then Zach slipped into my mind. His baby was inside of me. The child was ours. Then, like a sharp knife, his words from two years ago came cutting back. He had said he never wanted kids. I didn't even want to imagine what he would say if he found out. "But Zach doesn't want kids." I didn't even realize I said it out loud. And then I burst into tears. So far, pregnancy was not being very good to me on the side effects part.

"Geez, you really are pregnant." Bex sighed as she helped me stand up and make my way back to the living room.

"What will he say?!" I was freaking out. "What will he do?!" Then an even worse thought struck. "What will my mom say!?"

"Cammie, snap out of it!" Bex ordered and thrust a cup of tea that Macey had handed her into my hands and sat me down on the couch. "Drink this and take some deep breaths." Bex's voice scared me into silence and for about three seconds I sipped some tea and took a breath.

"What am I going to do?" I asked in a much calmer voice.

"Sleep." Bex said and pointed to a pillow on the end of the couch.

"But I'm not tired." I protested. "Bex, I need to figure this stuff out!"

"You need to be in your right mind to do that. And right now, you're not. So sleep." She picked up a throw blanket off of my favorite reading chair and handed it to me.

"What will my mom say? And Zach? And Mr. Solomon? And everyone?!" I was starting to get worked up again.

"They'll be shocked then happy." Macey reassured me. "Everyone loves babies."

"Zach doesn't want kids." I groaned.

"Zach can go stick his head in a-"

"Thank you for that Macey." Bex cut Macey off. "What we mean is: Zach will suck it up and grow to love this kid."

"My mom will disown me." I sighed.

"She will not." Liz waved off the idea. "Your mom loves babies. She had you."

"Yeah when she was married, stable financially, and on maternity leave from dangerous missions." I rattled off.

"Cam, you can't work while you're pregnant! What if something happens?" Liz's eyes widened. "The baby could get hurt!"

"Well I'm not just going to sit at home and knit all day." I snapped. "This thing," I pointed to my stomach, "is ruining everything!" I let my body fall limp onto the couch.

"You can't go tonight." Macey shook her head. "No more missions." I sat back up immediately.

"I promised Zach that we would find where a group of high position ransoms are being held!" I cried. "It's important!"

"Well I'll go then." Bex stepped in. "I'll tell Zach that you are sick and can't come. Then find the time to tell him you're pregnant, before you agree to go save the world again." She sounded more parent-like the older she got.

000000000000000000000000

That night, I snuck out. Oh sure, I promised my friends that I would stay put, rest, drink more tea, and go to bed early. But I'm Cameron Morgan. Sure my secret passageway days were over, my times of sneaking through the tunnel to Roseville, but my times of disobeying were not.

"Where is the best entrance?" I spoke evenly into my comms unit.

"There should be an excess ventilation shaft that opens on the southeast end. It's on the roof." Grant's voice rang clearly back to me.

"Excellent." I unbuckled my seatbelt. I was sitting in my car outside an abandoned building somewhere in Iowa. I had driven all night to get there and it was about three in the morning now.

"Cammie, are you sure you should be doing this?" Grant asked as I checked my belt and hidden pockets for my equipment. An important rule of all missions is that you always should have back up. At that time, none of my obvious options were available as back up. So I called in Grant, Bex's boyfriend as of a year. He didn't know my full situation, just that if he breathed a word of this to Bex, he'd be dead the next morning.

"I'm fine." I told him for probably the millionth time.

"I'm circling the building." He reminded me. "If you need help, I'm just a few yards away."

"I'll be fine." I opened the door and stepped out. "Bex and Zach should already have the job done, or at least be here. I'm just here to clean up." I zipped up my black suit to my neck. I loved this suit the best. I looked super sexy in it (not my words, Zach's) but it was getting a little snug. I didn't want to think about why. Just one more mission and I could put the suit down for a while. Maybe I could join Liz in the labs for the next few months.

"Southeast?" I double checked.

"Yeah. On the roof." Grant clarified. With that I took off. I ran over to the barbed wire fence and began to climb. Even super high tech spies have to climb fences. I did a flip over the top and down to the ground to avoid catching myself on the wire. Thank you P&E. The building looked dark and quiet, but I knew for a fact that this is where the ransomed people were being held. Before entering I had done a thermal sweep.

"Hey Grant." I panted as I located and ran to the southeast side of the building.

"Yeah?" he asked immediately.

"Does Zach ever talk about kids?" I asked absently as I shot a sticky cable up to grab onto the roof and began to climb up. But before Grant could answer, I heard another voice. It was still in my comms so I continued to climb, but then I heard the voice again.

"Sector C is all clear." That had to be Bex's voice. I could recognize that accent anywhere. We must've been picking up Zach and Bex's comms signal. There was a crackling sound and I lost Bex's voice. So I took the opportunity to speak to Grant.

"Grant." I got his attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'm killing the comms now." I told him.

"What? Cammie, why? Cammie, I have to be able to-" and with that I ripped the cord that ran from my belt to my ear in half. Bye bye Grant. I wasn't going to risk Bex and Zach hearing me or Grant. I reached the top of the roof and cut the cord letting it fall back down to the ground. I looked across the vast roof and spotted the vent I was looking for. I ran over and kicked in the metal lid that was over it.

"I think you'll like this." I looked down and whispered to my stomach. And I jumped up and kept my legs straight as I began to fall quickly through the vent.


	3. He's Cute When He Fights

Chapter Three

Cammie's POV:

I landed lightly on my feet. Spies have to be light on their feet, kinda like cats. Our main objective is to blend, to stand out just enough that we aren't actually standing out. And to be silent. The room was dark. I didn't look for a light switch like a normal college girl might. Right now, the darkness was my friend. So instead I took out Liz's latest invention. Night vision contacts. Of course putting them in was a bit difficult, but it was worth it. I could then see everything. So I was in some sort of storage closet. Cans of paint, dusty brooms, and toilet paper rolls cluttered the shelves. Part of me wished I hadn't disconnected Grant so he could tell me what this building had been used for. But I couldn't stay in there forever, contemplating. So I let myself out very carefully. I was on a catwalk that ran around the length of a rectangular space. I walked slowly over to the railing and looked down. It ran the length of five stories below me and probably about nine above. It looked like this area was a transitional space to and from different part of the building. What had Bex said? Sectors? So the building was divided into sectors. Last I had heard, she was in sector C. So I had two options. I could team up with them and have some backup, or I could avoid them and not get into serious trouble with Rebecca Baxter. I chose the latter.

"Sector C." I whispered to myself and walked around my level, checking doors until I found Sector C's door. I specifically walked past that one and chose the one next to it, Sector D. I let myself into a long hallway with no doors or windows. Not the best situation, but I had knockout gas if needed.

"Zach!" I heard a voice call. I snapped my head around and saw the door I had just come through opening behind me. It was Bex. "Zach, I think this one will take us the center." I started to sprint. The end of the hallway was nowhere in sight and if Bex saw me, I was dead, whether she recognized me or she didn't.

"We have to hurry." I heard Zach's voice rang down the hallway. "I don't know how long the timer has, but it can't be long." Timer? Then it hit me. This wasn't a "Win Some Money Off Of Rich People" ransom situation. This was a "Ransom Rich People, Collect the Money, Lock the People Up and Run Off" situation. The direness of this hit me hard like a slap to the face. Innocent people were locked up somewhere in here and the person with the ransom money was probably already getting away. I came across a door, prayed it was open and when it was, I dove through it. But I didn't slow down. I cursed my pregnant body as I started to sweat and get a terrible side cramp. I stopped to catch my breath after I felt I was a safe distance away. But apparently stopping was a bad idea. I felt my body leave the ground and immediately my hands wrapped protectively around my stomach as I hurtled down a flight of stairs and busted through a metal grate. I was falling through open air. Instinctively I punch a button on the wrist of my suit and a cable shot out and connected to the nearest wall. Becoming friends with Liz was the best decision ever. The line pulled tight and I was jerked to a stop. I looked down and saw that I was hanging maybe fifteen feet above a group of people. There were maybe thirteen of them and each was in a chair with their hands and feet bound. The room must have been pitch black because none of them noticed me. I was surprised I hadn't made more sound when I took my not-so-graceful fall. I slowly began to lower myself into the room. I dropped cautiously down right behind a man that looked like he was asleep. But he jerked his head up when he heard me land.

"Who's there?" he called.

"Help." I spoke lowly.

"Someone's here!" a woman cried.

"Quiet." I ordered before more people could make noise.

"Looks like we have company." I heard Bex's voice right behind me. I jumped right as she swung her leg out to knock me off my feet. I could see the surprised look on her face when I dodged one of her harder moves that we had practiced in P&E. "And he's not that bad." She added as I threw a punch that she barely dodged.

"Where's the bomb?" I heard Zach call.

"A little busy." Bex grunted as kicked at her locked knee, making it buckle. "Sh-"

"Language." I stopped her. I used a low voice, just to make sure she still didn't recognize me.

"Pardon me." She growled and kicked me back and I ran into one of the chairs.

"Find the bomb!" she called to Zach.

"No, get the people!" Zach shouted back to her.

"Switch please!" Bex yelled and I watched her slide across the floor. I knew that neither were wearing night vision contacts because they seemed a little disoriented. But I knew they at least had some sort of light attached to their suits because it was a little harder for me to see. Suddenly Zach's arms were wrapped around me. Not in a romantic way though. He was squeezing.

"Hands off the goods!" I stomped hard on his foot.

"I think we have a lady." I heard him call as his arms flew off and he backed up and prepared to fight.

"Excellent." Bex was busy untying one of the ladies across the room.

"I don't want to hurt you." Zach was walking towards me slowly.

"I doubt you could." I smiled to myself. This was actually a little fun. I knew his moves. We had been sparring together for the past three years.

"Sassy. And a little too confident." He shook his head. "I could almost swear you're a-"

"Gallagher Girl?" I finished for him. I saw him jerk to attention.

"How did you-" but that uncertainty was all I needed to catch his arms and pull them tight behind his back. He grunted as I took my knee and put pressure right above his groin. "Bex?" he called.

"Zach, stop playing." She sighed.

"Fine." He huffed and before I knew it I was flat on my back and seeing stars.

"That sounded painful." Bex called. Zach had elbowed my jaw. It might've been broken. But I had been shot three times before and I didn't go down then. I wasn't going down now. I jumped back up.

"Not painful enough." I hissed. Then reality snapped back to mind. I needed to stop playing with Zach and find that bomb. "Gotta run." I said with a sweet tinge to my tone and dashed to the door that I had spotted to my left.

"Go after her!" I heard Bex yell. "She's probably working for them!" I heard Zach's footsteps pounding after me. I turned a corner.

"Cammie?" I heard static and then my name again, "Cammie?"

"Grant?" I asked. "Where are you?"

"Comms unit in your suit." He explained.

"I didn't know about that." I looked down at my suit while I ran, trying to find where his voice was coming from.

"Liz just installed it. Probably specifically knowing you would disconnect the original. Sort of like you just did." He sighed.

"I need to know-"

"Where the bomb is." He finished for me. "Yes, I know there's a bomb. You gave me a lot of time to figure some things out."

"So where is it?!" I cried.

"You're about to enter Sector E." he told me. "You're on GPS lock. The bomb is located in Sector A."

"Of course it is." I panted.

"Did you find the people?" he asked.

"I did, but Bex has them." I explained and turned another corner. "Tell me where I'm going!"

"Turn left up at the next hallway." He rattled off.

"And Zach is chasing me." I added.

"Chasing you?"

"He doesn't know it's me." I clarified.

"You like to play with him too much." Grant was laughing.

"He's cute when he fights. But he's also lousy. I countered almost all of his moves. Except for one. I think he might have broken my jaw." I felt the pain come back as I talked about it.

"Ok there's an elevator coming up. You'll need that." Grant warned. I stopped and pushed the "up" arrow. But it wasn't there.

"Grant, it's not here!" I was starting to panic. Then I heard Zach coming. "Not enough time." I pried the doors open and jumped into the shaft. I caught onto a cable and immediately my hands were covered in grease.

"Cammie, what are you doing?" Grant called.

"Going for a climb." My eyes locked above me and I saw a red blinking light twenty feet up. "The bomb isn't in Sector A. It's in the elevator to Sector A." I breathed.

"Cammie? Can you see it?" Grant asked.

"Yep." I groaned as I began to pull myself up the cable.

"Cammie, that's dangerous. You know where it is. Now get Zach and have him help." Grant sounded worried.

"There's not enough time." I really didn't know how much time there was, but I was assuming the worst.

"Cammie, that bomb is not some fireworks display. It's got chemical discharges in it. Even if you're not close to it, you'll be dead when it sweeps the building."

"Well then I have to stop it, now don't I?" I replied.

"Ok well good luck then." I heard Grant give up in his voice. "Now when you get there, there should be an abort button. Regulations state that there has to be one on every bomb. And since this is an amateur crime, I'm assuming that the button was not removed when put into place."

"Cool. So get to the bomb, find the button, and disable it. Botta bing, day saved." I laid out my plan.

"But hurry." He added. "Hurry."


	4. Zach's Old Friend

Chapter Four

Cammie's POV:

 **What Not To Do While Hanging From a Greasy Elevator Cable (A List by Cammie Morgan):**

 **-Sweat (the grease will stick to you)**

 **-Touch your face or hair**

 **-Stick your tongue out**

"Get the bomb and save the people." I repeated to myself as I kept climbing. "You wouldn't catch Emily Blanchard doing this." I grunted. Emily was a girl in my Intro to Economics class at Georgetown. "Almost there." I breathed as I pulled myself inches away from the bomb. "Now all I have to do is-" then suddenly, like a flood, light cascaded over me and I was pretty much blinded. The shock of it made me lose my grip and slide a few feet down the cable. I clamped my eyes shut.

"Very good Miss Morgan." I heard a deep, condescending voice. And then the cable I was clinging to started to move. I was being pulled up. Get the contacts out! My body was screaming at me. So even though my hands were greasy, I plunged my fingers at my eyeball and ripped the contacts out. I had to blink a few times for my eyes to adjust. Part of my vision was still fuzzy. But I could see that the entire elevator shaft was lit up and the cable that the bomb and I were on was moving upwards. And the elevator on the cable next to me was moving down. "There you are." I saw a head peep over the edge of the top of the elevator as I came closer to being level with it. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd find the bomb."

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" I decided to go with the confident tone. There was no way to make him believe I wasn't capable.

"Well yes you are." He didn't seem intimidated by my readiness. When my cable became level with where he was standing, everything came to a stop. He beckoned for me to join him on top of the elevator.

"I was taught that if a stranger offers you a free trip, you don't take it." I was still clinging tightly to my cable. I don't think that the whole stranger rule was created for times like these, but the principle was the same.

"Well we can talk like this I suppose." He folded his hands and seemed to relax a little. "I don't want to hurt you."

"But you will."

"Eventually, everyone gets hurt." He sighed.

"Who's your boss?" I demanded. But he merely chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"Cameron, I thought you would be a little more ahead of this." He was simply smiling now. "Do you mean to tell me that you're completely unaware of why I'm here?"

"I'm aware of a few things." I didn't like how he was making me sound dumb and oblivious. "I'm aware that if you don't let me go get that bomb, you and I will both die along with anyone else who's in this building. I'm also aware that you work for the CIA." I pointed quickly to a badge that was slightly out of his inside pocket. "But you don't have the right kind of badge. Which means that you're posing as the CIA."

"Very good." He gave me a cheshire smile.

"But why you're doing it, I'm a little curious."

"You've come a long way since your junior year." He seemed like he was content just to reminisce about the past.

"What about my junior year?" I was getting fed up. He was wasting my time.

"Duck!" I heard a high pitch voice scream and as instinct, I hit the floor. I heard the crack of a gun go off and saw the man next to me duck as well. Then I saw a vision flying down at us.

"Zach!" I cried. He hit the elevator with a thud and the metal groaned.

"Cammie? What on earth are you-" Zach looked so startled.

"Cammie?!" Bex called. I looked up. I saw that she had pried open the floor doors on two levels above us. "Is that Cammie?"

"Bex!" I called. "It's not what it looks like!"

"You are so dead." I heard her mutter.

"Oh good." The man that I had been chatting with stood back up. "He's here too now."

"Me?" Zach looked at me. "What's going on?"

"I'd like to ask him that." I pointed to the man.

"Where's the bomb?!" Zach shouted at him.

"You mean "the bomb"." The man put air quotes around those words. "You mean that?" he pointed to the bomb I had been climbing to for the past ten minutes. "I thought that the top young spies would be able to tell a fake." He laughed.

"You're name is John Grey." I rattled off. "You really are part of the CIA. But the type of badge you have suggests that you got kicked out a few years ago. It's out of date. But why did you get kicked out?"

"Clever girl." He smiled. "Excellent choice." He nodded to Zach.

"John Grey." Zach murmured. Then his eyes widened. "John Grey."

"Ah good, so you remember me?" John looked pleased.

"Cammie, jump." Zach ordered.

"The girl stays." John put a hand up. "Or her precious package is dead." I froze. Precious package. Did he mean…..he couldn't. But yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that he knew. He locked eyes with me and nodded. My breath caught in my throat.

"Cam, now!" Zach used his firm voice.

"Zach, who is he?" I asked.

"Tell the girl who I am." John gestured to me. "She has a right to know."

"He's just somebody I used to know." Zach growled. "I don't know who he is anymore."

"Zachary doesn't care quite the same for me as he once did." John sighed. He sounded almost sad.

"Why are you here?" Zach looked like he was ready to kill.

"I came with a message for the girl." He pointed to me. I tried not to think about what this message could be.

"Zach, tell me who he is." I decided I could be firm too.

"He's the man who first introduced me to the Circle."


	5. Happy

Chapter Five

Cammie's POV:

I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, I knew why John was here. He knew about the baby. It was Zach's kid. And even though it was for a very short time, Zach had been part of the Circle. And my baby was Zach's baby. That baby….our baby….was Circle material. I felt like vomiting.

"I see the fear in your eyes." John looked over at me. "You must realize why I'm here."

"You will never get what you're looking for." I spat.

"The Circle always gets what they're looking for." He replied confidently.

"You didn't get World War Three." I countered.

"And I suppose since you stopped it, you think you can stop this." He walked over and Zach stepped in front of me at the last minute, but John just spoke over Zach's shoulder to me. "You have no idea what the Circle is capable of when it really wants something. And we really want what you have."

"Cam?" Zach looked back at me. "What's he talking about?"

"Oh the boy doesn't know?" John threw his head back and laughed. "That's classic. Why don't you tell him Cameron? Don't you think he deserves to know?"

"Not like this." I hissed and dove at him. I ducked under Zach's arm and kicked Grey in the gut. He went sprawling across the elevator. Bex jumped and landed next to me. I could see the fury in her eyes.

"I told you to stay home!" she screamed.

"I am not a child!" I cried.

"No, but you're responsible for one." She muttered under her breath. As soon as the words left her lips, three dark figures fell from the sky. Unfortunately, they were nothing like Zach falling to help me. They were with Grey.

"Get the girl." Grey pointed to me as he stood up carefully. "And watch for the boy." With that the three guys lunged at me, but I jumped off the elevator, swung around a cable and flew back to kick one guy in the face and send him flying down the shaft. There was a sickening crunch when he hit the bottom.

"Who's next?" I gave the other two an evil smile.

"What do you even want?" Zach was blocking punches thrown by Grey. "I don't have anything left that you would want!"

"Cam!" Bex tossed me a Napotine patch and I slapped in onto one of the guy's backs and tossed him over the edge. Bex was handling the last guy with her flourish as she played with him, hurting but not killing. I was left to race over to Zach and Grey.

"Cameron, your time is up." Grey held Zach by the throat. "I'm no match for you or the boy, you know that. But the Circle is. It's only a matter of time."

"Cammie, get out!" Zach gasped.

"You won't lay a hand on it." I didn't even know where these words were coming from. I didn't feel nearly as confident as I sounded. In fact, I felt like crying. He was threatening to kill my baby. Maybe it was the adrenaline that was keeping the gravity of the situation from truly sinking in.

"Tell the boy, or I will." Grey continued to squeeze.

"Not this way." I whispered.

"Cam, what's he saying?" Zach's eyes were deep. They were haunting me. Would our child have his eyes?

"Zachary, what Cameron is trying to tell you is-"

"Stop!" I cried.

"She's-" Grey continued.

"I'm pregnant!" I cried. Grey chuckled. "I'm pregnant with your baby." I whispered. Then, in a flash of movement, I tackled Grey and we both flew off of the elevator, leaving Zach and Bex behind.

"Cammie!" Bex screamed. While Grey and I fell, we fought. Finally I kicked him off and grabbed onto a cable. I slid down some more, then jolted to a stop. Grey's body disappeared, but I heard the tell tale sign of death. The sickening crunch would be forever branded in my memory.

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Zach's POV:

When Cammie spoke those words, my brain just froze. I couldn't think or breathe or move. Baby. She was pregnant with a baby. Well our baby to be more specific. And the Circle wanted it. Because of me. And then she was flying over the edge of the elevator with Grey in her arms.

"Cammie!" Bex ran to the edge. And I did the only thing a boyfriend can do when his girlfriend and child are in danger. I followed. I jumped down the shaft and cable whizzed by. As I kept falling, I reached out and grabbed a cable and clung to it.

"Cam?" I called out.

"Just leave me down here." I heard a small voice reply.

"Cam." I used a softer tone. "Where are you?"

"Doesn't matter." I could hear her silent sniffles.

"Cam." This time Bex went flying by me and called to her. "Cam, come on. We need to get home."

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The night air was fresh. Bex had gone home with Grant, but Cammie was still sitting on the gravel outside of the building. She hadn't looked at me or said a thing to me. I knew I had to fix this.

"Cam, come on. It's cold out here." I tried to coax her.

"Go away." She muttered.

"Cam-"

"I said go away!" she snapped. She was sitting down and only her side was visible to me. The breeze was moving her hair slightly and the moonlight showed her cheeks were wet from tears. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Well I have something to say to you." I walked up behind her and sat down.

"That I was stupid? That I messed up your life? That you don't want kids at all ever? That you want to break up? That you hate me now? I already know those things." She sighed. The breath she let out was shaky. I felt so bad for her. Look at how upset she was. She felt guilty for something she shouldn't.

"No," I brushed some hair out of her face, "but I was gonna say this." I turned her head to me and I kissed her gently on the lips. When I pulled back, an expression crossed over her face that I couldn't identify. It looked like a cross between confusion, fear, and frustration. "So you're pregnant?" I choked on the last word. She nodded silently. Then sniffed. "There's our baby in there?" I pointed to her stomach. She nodded again. "And you're sure?"

"My gosh, yes!" she stood up sharply. "I'm sorry if it interferes with your life plans. No, Zach, I just made it up. I jumped straight to this conclusion when I got sick in the mornings. Yes I'm sure!"

"Cam." I stood up and followed her as she stomped towards the car. "Cam, wait."

"No."

"Cameron." I grabbed her around the waist, careful not to touch her stomach. I turned her to face me. "Do you believe me when I say I love you?" she looked down. The wind whipped around us, but she kept silent. "Do you believe me?" I asked again.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Then would you believe me if I told that I love you even more now?" I asked. She looked up to me slowly and I saw the hurt in her eyes. It broke my heart to see her like this.

"I would." Her voice was hoarse. "But I wouldn't understand why."

"Don't even." I put one hand up to cup her face, the other hand still resting on her waist. "I love you because you are one hundred percent you. I love you because you're always one step ahead. I love you because you never let me get bored. I love you because I grew up with you. I got to see what you became. I loved you for coming back. I love you because you're beautiful. I loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you in Washington DC. I loved your big eyes, and I thought 'just another Gallagher Girl'. So easy to fool. And then you exposed me 'hello Blackthorne Boy'. And I was hooked. I love your sneaky side and your intelligence and your willingness. You care about those you love and constantly risk your life for them." I paused. She was still looking at me, her facial expression hadn't changed. "And do you think that if I loved all those things, loved everything about you, that I wouldn't want a little, lovable kid around to remind me of you?" I felt her body stiffen up.

"You said you didn't want kids." She held my gaze intensely. I sighed. I wished I could've taken that back. I never should have said that.

"If I could take those words back, that night, I would, Cammie." I shook my head slightly, "If the kids are yours, I would take ten of them."

"Sorry, but I think you only get one right now." I heard the teasing in her tone, but I didn't laugh because I also saw that she still was not completely over this.

"Come on." I held my arms out to her, gently. She shook her head, refusing my hug. "Cameron," I let my voice get a little serious, "you know you need this." She waited for a few seconds then walked into my hug in reluctance. "How long have you known?" I whispered in her ear.

"Since this morning." She replied with a shaky breath.

"And here I thought you were good at keeping secrets."

"I wouldn't have told you like this if not for…." Her voice faded out and she stepped back.

"I know." I didn't want her to finish.

"I wish you could've found out some other way." She drew a sharp breath.

"What is it?" I asked quickly.

"Morning sickness." She replied and heaved off into the grass at the edge of the property.

"Attractive." I handed her a tissue from my pocket to wipe her mouth.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

"I need to get you home." I wrapped my arm around her and began to guide her off the property and down the road a ways to my car.

"Zach?" I could hear confidence returning to her voice.

"Yes?" I reached out and opened the passenger side door for her.

"I'm sorry you found out like this." She slid into the seat and I closed the door and ran around to my side.

"At least I found out." I slid in and buckled my seat belt. I started the car.

"Are you happy?" her voice was almost so quiet that it could've been mistaken for the breeze blowing against the car. But I heard.

"Are you?" I pulled out onto the street. She didn't reply. So I looked over at her. She was looking down at her stomach and gently running her fingertips over it. I looked back to the road and stopped the car at a small intersection. It was about three in the morning. No other cars were around. But I didn't move the car on. I turned to Cammie. "Gallagher girl?" she looked up. "I'm going to kiss you now." The I leaned across the cup holders and change holder and she turned to meet me. It was slow, sweet kiss.

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Cammie's POV:

Zach had so many different kisses. And I loved every one of them. Tonight his kiss was gentle, not pushing and sexy like it had been that one night about three weeks ago. He pulled back but didn't move the car. We both just sat there in silence.

"Yes." I spoke up.

"Yes what?" he looked confused.

"I'm happy."


	6. You

Chapter Six

"You're what?" Rachel Morgan lowered her glasses to her desk and stared across the room at her daughter. Zach cleared his throat and tried not to make eye contact.

"Hm, well, surprise." Cammie winced as her mother stood up and fire ignited in her eyes.

"This better be a joke." Rachel folded her hands and her eyes snapped to Zach. "Please tell me you didn't go and take advantage of my daughter."

"Mom, it wasn't like that!" Cammie butted in. "I'm as much to blame as Zach."

"How could you even let something like this into your realm of possibilities?" Rachel cried. "Cameron Ann Morgan, you're smarter than that! And you!" She faced Zach. "You were raised to do nothing but respect women and treat situations like this with the uttermost discretion!"

"Ma'am, with all due respect, Cammie is right, this is a complete accident." Zach grimaced and gave Cammie a look. She bit her lip and took a step forward to sit in the chairs at her mom's desk. Zach did likewise and the whole family took a seat.

"I don't want to know when, I don't want to know how, I just want to know how you can possibly know for sure that you are." Rachel explained, trying to regain control of her temper.

"I've been sick for a while now," Cammie began, "and Macey and them finally convinced me to take a test. The test said positive."

"Great. Well the first thing to do is go to a doctor. Those tests can be wrong." Rachel grabbed a pen and began to scribble something down on her calendar. "And when did you take the test?"

"Two days ago." Cammie sighed.

"Didn't you go on a mission last night?" Rachel's eyes began to crackle again.

"Well…"

"Cameron!"

"I tried to stop her. We all did." Zach spoke up.

"Thanks a lot." Cammie mumbled.

"You have not been the responsible girl I know you to be! Where has all your good judgment gone?"

"Look, we feel bad enough already." Cammie grumbled. "Maybe you could just show us the smallest bit of sympathy and tell me what to do?"

"Here's what we do," Rachel pursed her lips, "we will go to the doctor's tomorrow and find out just what exactly is going on. Then, Joe is going to have a talk with Zach about just exactly what he expects from him." Rachel glared at the boy and Zach went rigid. "Lastly, we will begin to plan accordingly based on the doctor's report and the details you will tell us further when we ask for them."

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"Yep, there's a baby in there." The nurse nodded as Cammie sat back down on the exam table after pacing the room.

"You're sure?" she had still been clinging to the possibility that this all had just been a big misunderstanding.

"Yes, Hun, we're sure." The nurse replied, amused.

"Maybe the test was wrong?" Zach suggested.

"This is a clinic, not a drug store." The nurse removed her gloves and handed the test back to Cammie. "I've logged everything into the computer. Your printout is on the counter. How you decide to approach these next few months is very important. If you need to think, take that time, but don't wait too long. We need to begin whatever course of action you decide on. Whether it's prenatal vitamins and regular checkups, a different family doctor, scheduling a midwife or taking classes, adoption, abortion…" Cammie watched as Zach gripped the chair he was in when the nurse said abortion.

"Um, we'll think and set up something right away." Cammie spoke before the nurse could continue.

"Have a nice day." The nurse nodded and excused herself, leaving Zach and Cammie alone in the little room.

"Abortion." Zach choked out. "Cam, I don't care what you want. We are not killing that innocent thing."

"Don't you know me at all, Zachary Goode? Of course I'm not going to kill it!" Cammie defended herself.

"Boy do we have a lot to think about." Zach leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. "Adoption?" he questioned. "I hadn't even thought of that."

"Keeping it?" Cammie retorted. "I hadn't thought of _that_."

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"This is not good." Rachel slid Cammie's pregnancy papers across her desk to Joe. Joe's eyes scanned the paper quickly and he swallowed thickly. He was smart enough to know what the rest of the papers said.

"You're sure?" he asked. Rachel sighed and nodded.

"Joe, what do we do? Should I punish her? Somehow that just doesn't seem right in their situation."

"I think first things off, we need to ask them what they're doing about it." Joe became his calm, serious self and Rachel thanked God once again that she was married to this man. "Adoption? Are they keeping it?"

"Are we allowed to tell them what to do about it?" Rachel wondered aloud. "I think society would frown upon that now."

"I think it should be a decision they make." Joe agreed. "But I think we should advise them. I think their punishment will be accepting this responsibility when they weren't ready for it."

"Call them in." Rachel nodded.

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"You are dead." Were the first words Joe spoke when Zach stepped into the room. The boy swallowed and stopped in the doorway. Cammie froze behind him.

"Joe?" she called. "Mom? You called Joe in?!" Cammie couldn't believe it.

"Mr. Solomon, Sir, I can explain." Zach began.

"Yes, I hope you can." Joe replied icily. "You two are going to sit down and explain a few things right now. And then I'll decide if I'm going to let you live or not. Because that's my stepdaughter you decided to-"

"Yes, thank you Joe." Cammie stopped him before he could finish. "We're very aware what he did to me." Rachel flinched hearing her daughter say the words. The two kids sat down on the couch and Joe and Rachel came to join them in the sitting area. Joe didn't sit down, though, he was on watch as if he expected to have to diffuse a bomb at any moment. Cammie began counting the seconds the conversation was taking and checked for all her possible escape routes.

"First off, you're going to have to decide very quickly the course of action you're taking." Rachel began after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Wait," Cammie snapped to attention, "you mean you're not making us give it up?"

"Cameron, I can't make that decision for you. This is your kid and I'm not the one that's responsible for it. Your job is to make the decision that will give it the best life possible. Now I can give you some advice. Joe too. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes." Zach spoke up. "We would appreciate it very much." He knew Cammie would not have accepted the advice, judging by the frown on her face.

"Well, first of all, I would suggest buying some condoms." Joe spoke up. Zach froze and Cammie coughed.

"Joe." Rachel warned. She folded her hands. "We think you should first of all sit down and have a conversation just the two of you about what you're going to do with this kid. Now, I would be fine with you doing either: keeping it, or adoption. However, you must be aware of the ramifications of both choices. With adoption there will be paperwork, child support if you want to stay connected, pain, and finding a good family. With keeping it there will be finances, late nights, work work work work. But it would still be yours."

"Now, after you decide that, we strongly recommend you getting married." Rachel continued. Zach's eyes widened and Cammie stood up.

"What?" she choked out. "Did you just say…"

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Rachel questioned as Cammie slowly sat back down. "I told you that sex was something reserved for married couples. Well, the damage is done, but I highly doubt you two are going to stop sleeping together now especially when she gets into her second trimester. You'll be wanting it all the time."

"Ew, Mom, I didn't need to hear that." Cammie gasped.

"It's true." Joe looked at Zach. "The second trimester is our lucky day."

"Joe!" Rachel chuckled dryly. "The point is, if you two are really committed to each other and in this thing together, you should get married. It's the right thing to do."

"Mom, can you slow down, please?" Cammie didn't even know what to think. "I still can't even believe I'm pregnant."

"Well, you're going to have to get over that, Cameron. You don't have time to sit around on this. You need to get moving. Literally. If you two are gonna have a kid together, you also are moving in together."

"I didn't even think of that." Zach breathed.

"Everyone just slow down!" Cammie cried, the room falling silent. "Zach and I are going to figure this out." She pushed her hair out of her face and let out a long breath. "But please, let us work this out on our own first." Her mother and Joe regarded her quietly. Zach squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Come on." Zach helped her up and led her to the door. "Let's go for a drive."

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"We're not ready for this." Cammie said as soon as they got out of the car and began to walk through the streets of Roseville. Everything looked exactly the same, thus the basis of its appeal, but also its tedium. Zach took Cammie's hand as they wove their way through the cute streets and let their unseeing eyes glance over the storefronts.

"Cam, we're international spies. A kid couldn't be too hard." Zach tried to calm her down.

"That's just it!" Cammie pointed out. "We've been trained how to punch people and make a bomb and you knew how to shoot a gun when you were four years old. We can't be parents! I can't be a mom. I'd kill the thing! We never learned how to be affectionate or how to take care of another human being. We're trained to kill. Not to bring life."

"Cam, you're exaggerating this. Spying is just a job, just like working in an office. Yes, it's a little more extreme than other careers, but still, I bet you that the person who make assault rifles for a living has kids. Just cause he's good at building weapons doesn't mean he's bad at being a father."

"Why do you sound so calm about all this?" she accused and he stopped her and turned her to face him.

"I'm not calm. God, Cam, I'm freaking out. But I also have faith in us. I know what you're capable of and I have no doubt that whatever decision we make about all of this, that you will come out of it in the best way." He promised, watching as her face softened slightly.

"I hope this kid gets your eyes." She whispered. Zach froze. She took his hand and began to walk again, still looking into his eyes.

"Do you know what you want to do?"

"I want to do what makes you happy." He admitted.

"I don't know what would make me happy." She conceded. "I have to admit, the thought of sharing a life with you is appealing." She blushed and Zach chuckled at her awkwardness. Cammie could still be so shy. "But I don't want to rush into anything that we'll regret."

"Here's the thing, Cam." Zach explained. "Regret is a choice. We can regret anything we've done in life so far. But if we choose not to, and be happy with what we have, we can have the best life possible. So don't think of what will make you less sad. Think what will make you happy. Right now. This moment. Cameron Ann Morgan," Zach stopped them on the sidewalk, in the square, "what will make you happy?" Cammie looked at her boyfriend, then slowly around the square. She saw herself, a high schooler, at the carnival that one night. Her first mission. And then another time, when she had walked down the street with Zach and he had kissed her right in front of Josh. She was in love with the man in front of her. She was nineteen. She had no idea what would happen. She wasn't used to making decisions based off of the moment. But maybe that would right for now. She looked back up at Zach.

"You." She said simply. He smiled and took her face in his big hands and captured her lips in his.


	7. The Proposal

Chapter Seven

"A month." Bex breathed. "You've been pregnant for a whole month?"

"That's what the doctor says." Cammie confirmed as she folded laundry on her bed. Bex sat across from her in a chair by the window, watching the rain fall in torrents outside. "And since there were a number of times in that time period that Zach and I….well they can't give a definite due date. They just think it's some time in July.

"Such a long time away." Bex mumbled.

"Yeah it will go quicker than we think." Cammie predicted.

"So how did your mom and Joe react when you told them you were keeping the baby?" Bex wondered.

"Surprisingly, they didn't really have any reaction. My mom just nodded and scheduled my next doctor's appointment. And Joe just left. Though I have a feeling he'll be hunting Zach down sometime in the next week or so."

"They're just getting used to it." Bex reassured her best friend. "I'm sure they'll be really happy after a little bit."

"Hopefully. But I understand how they feel. I'm not quite sure I'm adjusted to it either. I wouldn't say I'm happy."

"You're pleased."

"Yeah." Cammie agreed and hefted herself off the bed.

"Delivery!" came a shriek from the front room. Cammie chuckled and she and Bex went out into the main room to greet Liz and Macey who had brought Chinese takeout for lunch. "We brought a book of baby name ideas as well." Liz announced as Cammie unpacked the food.

"Oh gosh, guys." Cammie whined in embarrassment. "Baby names? Really?"

"That's what I said." Macey muttered. "But Liz forced me to stop at the bookstore."

"Well, thanks, Lizzie." Cammie smiled and tossed the book on the couch. "We'll have to look through it sometime."

"Did you bring orange chicken?" Bex wondered as she inspected each package.

"No, only Beijing beef." Macey replied, already pulling out her chopsticks.

"Dāngrán." Bex replied in Mandarin and Macey rolled her eyes.

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"Aren't we a little old for this?" Cammie huffed as she crawled after Zach through the secret passageways that crossed through the Gallagher Academy. "I mean, we don't even go here anymore. We are redefining the "Super Senior" stereotype."

"Oh stop grousing." Zach chuckled as he helped her into the nook that overlooked the P&E fields. "This is romantic."

"Eh, I could think of a few more romantic things that don't require me meeting more than one spider in the course of five minutes." Cammie responded wittily.

"Very funny." Zach gave her a quick peck on the lips as they settled in to watch a game of flag football being played out on the field. "So, have you thought anymore about the wedding?" he asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Yes." She admitted. "Have you?"

"Of course." He replied quickly. "Your thoughts on it?"

"I think we should do it sooner rather than later." Cammie decided. "Don't take it like I don't want to be with you right away, but at the same time, it's tacky to walk down the aisle with a baby bump. There will already be talk. I don't want to add to that."

"I think you'd look perfect anyway you walked." Zach whispered as if he were sharing a secret.

"Shut up." She blushed and shoved him playfully.

"So when are you thinking?" he asked.

"December?" Cammie wondered. "Mid-December?'

"A winter wedding." Zach added thoughtfully. "Sounds nice."

"Can we put it together on such short notice?"

"I'll leave that to you." Zach laughed and before she could respond, took off down the tunnel.

"Oh, you are the worst!" Cammie laughed as she began to chase him, already hearing his footsteps receding. She knew he'd be waiting to scare her at the end of the tunnel and that she would scream. It was how the world worked. Zach was always waiting and Cammie would always fall for him, no matter what.

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"It's such a gorgeous day." Liz said for the probably the thousandth time that hour. Cammie felt like punching Liz in the face. The rain was pouring as they huddled under an umbrella and tripped down the walkways of Washington, D.C. The wind was raving around them, biting through their jackets. Cammie was ready to scream in frustration.

"I thought you said you only needed a few things." Cammie grumbled as Liz dragged her into another shop.

"It's only been two hours since we got here." Liz defended herself and began to look at the bargain rack of clothing. Cammie glanced over the assorted lipsticks and caught sight of a maternity section. She almost went over to it, but refrained. No. Not yet. She wasn't ready for the rumors. Not that anyone here knew her, but still. She was paranoid. She didn't want to risk it. Cammie huffed and looked out the window. They were only a few blocks from the Capitol Mall, and she was tempted to start running and find shelter with Abraham Lincoln's statue. But she never got the chance. Liz materialized next to her, bag on her arm, and umbrella ready. "Got what I need. Ready to head back?"

"Well finally." Cammie sighed as she buttoned her jacket up again. "Now it's only like a half hour walk back to my car."

"You're in a sour mood." Liz observed as they stepped back into the street and started walking. "Pregnancy must not agree with you." It was the wrong thing to say.

"Well of course it doesn't. I'm nineteen."

"Not what I meant." Liz apologized. Cammie mentally forgave Liz after seeing the innocent face. No one could stay mad at Liz. Plus, Liz was never intentionally rude. She just never knew how to word things correctly.

"Where are we going?" Cammie spoke up as Liz looped her arm through Cammie's and pulled her onto a different street. "The car was the other way."

"We're here. We might as well go see the monuments." Liz smiled to herself. "Right?"

"Liz, in case you haven't noticed, I'm nauseous and tired and hungry and cold. Let's look at the monuments another time. We have at least an hour drive to get back home."

"Oh Cammie, this is just what you need to cheer you up."

"I doubt it." Cammie sighed but let Liz drag her out onto the Mall's path. Hardly a person was out. Of course no one is out, thought Cammie. They're all smarter than Liz, inside and warm and eating something because it's lunch time!

"Oh look at the Washington Monument!" cried Liz in excitement. "It looks so regal in the fog, don't you think?"

"Sure." Cammie didn't even look. She was beyond caring. The rain water was soaking through her shoes.

"And that helicopter up there, I wonder what that's doing out today?" Liz added.

"Who knows." Cammie grumbled.

"Isn't this near where you first saw Zach?" Liz reminded her.

"Liz come on would you please-" and Cammie stopped. Liz was right. This was where she had first laid eyes on Zach, where he had fooled her into believing he was just a normal boy, talking to a pretty girl, when really he was her distraction. And he had distracted her perfectly. But she had also gotten the scoop on him, little did he know.

"Hello, Blackthorne Boy." Her young voice replayed in her head. She saw Joe and Zach's surprised expressions. She laughed to herself.

"Yeah, it is." Cammie breathed and looked at the monument. It really did look regal. It had seen years and years of people, but it had seen Zach. It had seen Zach see her. He had seen her and she had seen him. And now here they were. "You're right, Liz, the monument looks very regal." Cammie admitted, feeling slightly brighter. She looked to her left and then everything registered. Liz was gone. "Liz?" Cammie looked around. She had just disappeared. For a split second the thought crossed her mind that something horrible had happened to her. But then she remembered that she's Liz and even though she seems meek to her, she's still been trained better than any mugger or delusional person.

"Hey." Bex appeared next to Cammie. Cammie jumped.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Cammie looked around. "Where's Liz? What's going on?"

"Calm down. We're supposed to be heading to the ruby slippers, remember?" Bex replied casually. Cammie gasped.

"Bex, what are you talking about?" Cammie was so confused. Did Bex just say something about an assignment they'd had three years ago? It was like she was reliving her past. She was about to pinch herself to try to wake up when Bex grabbed her arm.

"Cam, we've got to hurry. Let's split up. Just to make sure there's no one on our tails." Bex suggested. Cammie couldn't form words as Bex did a perimeter check and then took off. Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Joe.

"Ruby Slippers. You have ten minutes." It read. Cammie didn't understand. But she did know that no matter how many years she had been out of school, she would always think of Joe as her teacher. And he had given her an assignment. She had to get to the ruby slippers. And Bex already had a head start. She took a minute to get her bearings. She was rusty. She tried to shake off the fog that seemed to seep into her brain from the air. The slippers were located in the castle. So she had to get down there in five minutes at the most because she would have to wait in a line somewhere along the way. She took off.

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The castle was mostly empty, just like it had been those many years ago. She was experiencing major dejavu. Where was Bex? Was Joe here too?

"Bex?" Cammie called as she rounded the empty halls. The exhibit was coming up. She rounded another corner and saw the exhibit ahead. She raced to it, her competitiveness kicking in. Just as she reached the exhibit, Joe stepped out from the other side. Cammie skidded to a stop in surprise. "Mr. Solomon!" Cammie cried, so startled she forgot to call him Joe. She felt like a student again. "Where's Bex?"

"Miss Morgan," Joe sounded very disappointed, "you're late."

"I am not." Cammie replied, then glanced at her watch. She was twenty-three seconds late. Shoot. "Twenty-three seconds." She muttered. "Oh well. I beat Bex."

"Ah, but not everyone." Joe smiled for the first time during the conversation and stepped aside. Zach appeared from around the slippers. Cammie gasped.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl." He rasped. Cammie's hand flew to cover her mouth as Zach knelt down and pulled a box from his pocket. "Now I know I promised not to do anything big, but I wanted it to be special. So I hope this is ok. Cameron Ann Morgan, I loved you the moment I saw you and I thank Mr. Solomon everyday for assigning me to follow you. You make me incredibly happy and are great competition, even if I always win." She rolled her eyes as he continued. "And know that just because we're doing this a little early, it does not mean that I wouldn't have done it soon. I've known I wanted to marry you ever since I danced with you. So I guess I should just ask you now." Cammie shuddered a laugh and sniffled. Her hands were shaking and Zach took them. "Will you marry me, Gallagher Girl?" he held up a pack of M&M's. She choked out a sob and smiled.

"Yes. I will marry you, Blackthorne Boy." She replied and pulled him to his feet and he enfolded her in his arms.

"I'm going to kiss you now." He whispered.

"Hurry." She breathed.


End file.
